Exercise: The Key to Healthy Living – JCC Tulsa Gym and Fitness Center

Everyone knows that exercise, a fitness mentality, and an active lifestyle are healthier than a sedentary way of living, but that is a vague statement. How exactly does getting moving increase your physical and even mental well-being? The following are nine ways exercise boosts you, fights disease, and keeps you safe. That said, experts at the Center for Disease Control warn to start new physical activity programs slowly and, in the case of chronic health conditions, with the advice of a doctor.

Exercise and Heart Health

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that increased fitness and physical activity are plainly associated with risk reductions regarding cardiovascular disease. In fact, a host of studies corroborate that exercise reduces stress on the heart, serves for the improvement of function in the heart muscle, and lowers the odds of blood clot development.

Exercise and Weight Control

What you eat and how much of it do not alone contribute to weight control. To effectively manage weight, energetic exercise of about two and a half hours a week is key. This can be done in short bursts, like brisk walks up stairs instead of elevators, but it should be done consistently.

Exercise Lowers High Blood Pressure

Regardless of your walk in life, fitness is a excellent for your blood pressure. Whether that takes place in the gym or in a brisk walk, the results remain good. These findings are mostly grounded on aerobic activity, however; such classes as Cardio Kickboxing, Aqua Aerobics, and Stretching and Aerobics offered at Tulsa Fitness Center will be most effective in getting the systolic and diastolic numbers down.

Osteoporosis Prevention

Weight-bearing exercises, on the other hand, like walking, running, weight training, and TRX Core and Conditioning classes, are the go-to for preventing osteoporosis. While starting at a young age is ideal, the time is never too late to start a good habit, and metabolic disease experts say even a brisk walk can help.

Exercise and Stress Reduction

Many people are aware that fitness exercises release endorphins, but what are they? Endorphins have been called the body’s natural opiates, according to a PBS report on Heroin in the Brain. Other boosts may be due to increased core temperature leading to positive alterations in neurotransmitters in the brain. Psychological alterations may also be due to changes in serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, each a hormone that impacts anxiety levels and mood. Some time in the gym can truly do wonders for emotional health.

Diabetic Complication Limitations

Diabetes is one of those conditions where lifestyle factors provide a significant impact. Exercise, along with lowering bad cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, can aid in reducing insulin requirements. Overall fitness is especially important for diabetics because of their increased risk of circulatory and heart problem developments.

Brain Health

Some time at the gym can do more than work on your physique; it can also exercise your brain. Improved blood flow to the brain, in addition to potentially reducing stroke risk, also serves to improve memory and reasoning. Regular exercise activates the brain and diminishes the central nervous system’s degeneration, a process leading to poorer coordination and slower reaction times. A University of Illinois study found that older adults who more fit were also more cognitively flexible.

Sleep Improvement

Sleep and fitness levels may be bidirectionally linked, according to a study first published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. In other words, poor sleep can lead to less movement, and a less active lifestyle negatively affects sleep. The article states that evidence supports exercise as a non-pharmacologic treatment for poor sleep. Hit the gym to break the cycle and improve your snoozing.

Muscle Strength and Daily Activity Ease

Muscles are used for more than time at the gym, and strengthening exercises do more than increase muscle mass and strength. They help joint health, bone strength, and metabolism as well. Daily activities become easier with greater levels of exercise, and the risk of falls is reduced. Exercise is truly the key to a well-rounded, healthy life.

Fitness in Tulsa, OK

Summertime can be overwhelmingly warm in Tulsa, so finding a gym in Tulsa or full service fitness center in Tulsa that you like so you can exercise indoors is a wise decision. You don’t have to exercise indoors all the time, but it is recommended for the extremely hot days in summer. If you aren’t already a member of a great gym, you can call our fitness center today at (918) 495-1111. The fitness facilities are amazing and they offer great water aerobics classes that you and your entire family can enjoy.